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The YC/BC is my favorite resort of all disney. We jsut got back from a weekend at the boardwalk and it was a nice resort but to me the YC/BC just feels like more disney to me then the Boardwalk. If you have a family of 5 you may want to look at the BC villas. If you are going during the warmer months the YC/BC pool is a must.

You'll want the Beach Club. The daybeds at the BWI are not long enough to accomodate a child over about eight, and some of the YC rooms ahve a shorter day bed as well.

Unless you are considering a 2BR villa, in which case the BWV rooms are larger, and some of the BCV rooms are dedicated 2BR so there are two queen beds in teh second bedroom instead of a queen and double sleeper sofa.

The pool would be great for teens at SAB....you could relax by the
pool while they run themselves ragged going on the slide
100 times....
My vote is for BC unless your kids play a lot of video games and would
want to do that at community hall for rainy days.
happy planning
Kerri

With hungry kids in tow, I'd look into a BCV then. Only problem is technically you'd need a 2BR, and they are pricey.

With the villa, you'd have two things that I think are great for a family: 1) a washer and dryer in your villa! Big thing for me, as I do laundry even on vacation every other day, but in a villa every day. 2) the kitchen with a full size fridge and stove/oven, microwave. The kids can have an early morning meal, plus my kids always want something late at night. It is convenient.

Also, have you looked into the Swan/Dolphin? It's in the same area, and you can get two connecting rooms. Their pool area is super fun, and the rates are much less than the BC or BW (I think they have specials as low as $200/night). I personally like it there (prefer the quiet of the Swan) but am also considering a BWV this summer instead, for the convenience of the washer/dryer in the room, and the kitchen.

Neither Beach Club nor Boardwalk has a food court....but there are TONS of places to eat in the area. Beach Club (my vote) has the Marketplace, where you can pick up some staples along with salads, sandwiches, etc.

But like I said, there are tons of places to eat in the Boardwalk area, and it's an easy walk to Boardwalk, Yacht Club, etc. from the Beach Club.

I vote for Beach Club because of the pool...and I just really love it.

I guess I'm in the minority here but I've never been crazy about SAB. It's too hard to keep track of your kids and I don't like the sand. Also, the slide at the BW is actually longer and you don't have to go outside the pool area, like you do at SAB, to go up the steps. Your kids are older so you don't have to keep an eye on them as much but I just find it a bit difficult to get around that pool area. It just feels like a big confusing maze to me. I like that you can sit at the BW pool and basically see everything (slide, steps, bathrooms, concession stand/bar). Also, my kids (9 and 11) love Community Hall and spend a lot of time there. Plus, all of the entertainers, carnival games, surrey rentals etc. are outside the BW at night. Granted, it's a short walk from the YC/BC but it's nice to be right there. Just my two cents--I'm sure either one will be great!

We are a family of 4, so I cannot comment on room sizes for your family of 5, but the first thing I'd do in your shoes is to consider the above advice regarding room size and figure out if one resort benefits over the other in that regard.

As far as the resorts themselves, keep in mind that they are only a 5 minute walk away from each other, so if you stay at one, you can easily walk to the other. So if you stay at BC, you can walk to the boardwalk for the nightly entertainment or to rent surrey bikes, ESPN Club, dancing, restaurants, shopping, etc. Eating -- technically no "fast-food" food court at these resorts, but you have 100's of options right within walking distance. BC has the Marketplace with fast-food items to choose from and also Hurricane Hannahs at the pool with the typical choices. Also Beaches & Cream, a 50's type restaurant. Then there are all the options on the boardwalk and also all the Epcot countries. On the boardwalk, there are food stands set up, pizza take-out window and you can order by the slice and sit outside and eat, etc.

Which resort would WE choose? BC. We love the sandy-bottom pool area for our toddlers. And we love having a character breakfast right in the lobby. And it is the closest resort to Epcot countries. And we can walk to the boardwalk each night for some entertainment. We love it there.

BUT is it worth the extra money per night ?? guess I am just wondering ??

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I think it depends on what kind of visit you are looking at. The biggest advantage to staying at BW/YC/BC is location. You can walk into Epcot easily...get to MGM easily...and you are surrounded by dining/entertainment choices. If you have park hoppers, you can do one park during the day and stroll into World Showcase for dinner in the evening...EVERY evening, if you so choose.

Never stayed at POR, hear it's great....and if you are more a full day in one park kind of family, it might be worth the savings....

Oh gosh, no contest. If you are looking for a deluxe resort, the Beach Club is it all the way. The CMs there are wonderful. I can't tell you how many times they've gone out of their way for us.

The pool is great. When we have little ones with us, we park at the sandy section. When the kids with us are a bit older, we park at the end of the slide. We like to get a bite from Hurricane Hannah's or a nice drink! They have pool side service sometimes too. :yes:

Beaches and Cream is nice for great ice cream, or those famous burgers. :yes:

There is the beach that is nice for lounging (but DO stay OUT of the water. Nasty! ). We really enjoy Cape May too. Both the breakfast characer buffet and the evening dinner buffet are favorites of our crew.

Didn't see what dates you're considering? SAB is definitely a big part of why we like YC/BCand are willing to pay for it. However, we have stayed there a few times in the winter when the pool closed early and it was too chilly to really enjoy SAB and didn't feel so great about the price we were paying. Maybe that's just us

We have stayed at BWV and at YC. Granted, the kids were younger when we stayed at BWV (last time they were 10,7,4) and we were in a 2BR, but we were in a regular room at YC and it held them fine (last summer at ages 9,12,15). The 9 year old was fine on the daybed. I like the pool better--plus DD#1 has a totally irrational fear of clowns and at this point the BWV pool would not work for her. I just hope it's warm over Easter this year!
(I know you asked about BC, but they are very similar and share a pool--plus YC rooms all have nice balconies, not just a few)
Robin M.